Top 10 Sustainable Sweatpants for your Next Zoom Call

Why you should care?

In case your boss asks you to stand up you can at least say you were helping the environment.

Since we’re all professional remote employees now, shoot, we’re actually all professionally remote…remote dinners with our families, remote teachers for our kids, remote yogis with our instructors, and more, we’re quite fortunate to have products like Zoom video conferencing calls. Tools like this allow us all to stay connected. Even MORE fortunately, the little computer camera only allows your zoom guests to see you from the waist up, am I right!?

Goodbye uncomfortable business casual slacks! Farewell dreaded pencil skirt. Good riddance work appropriate jeans! Hello sustainable clothing brands! We’ve shifted to the comfortability of our favorite pair of sweatpants, but since we’ve been quarantined for at least 30 days now, your usual pair of cozies might be ready for an upgrade. Or at least maybe change out your Tuesday/Thursday sweats for a new pair to really jazz up your week.

Are your Sweatpants Made of Cotton?

Most sweatpants are made of cotton. Why? Because it’s, well, cozy. Did you know that conventional cotton, however, is really bad for the environment? Three words: land consumption, water consumption, and pesticides (ew). According to the Environment Justice Foundation, (EJF) “The cotton crop is grown on around 2.5% of the planet’s arable land, consuming around 2.6% of the global water footprint for consumed goods, and responsible for $2 billion worth of chemical pesticides every year, many of which are considered hazardous by the World Health Organisation.”

If it’s made with pesticides, residual pesticides likely remain on the garment.  Imagine spending 8 hours per night sleeping and potentially 1-2 hours afternoon napping in your cozy sweats which are straight up “housing” pesticides. I’ll pass.

In addition to that, the EJF reported that, “China, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Uzbekistan and Turkey – six of the world’s top seven cotton producers – have been reported to use child labour in their cotton fields.” It’s definitely not fun to hear how children as young as seven are being forced to work 50+ hours a week in a cotton field to make you a pair of $20 sweatpants, but often, the truth about where a lot of our clothing comes from isn’t a happy story. That’s why we have to proactively choose better, and Hey Social Good is here to provide better solid alternatives from great sustainable clothing brands.

Shopping For Sustainable Sweatpants

Next time you’re shopping for sweats, look at what went into making that fabric. You can find the information on the product page of the brand’s website; it’s usually located under the “details” section right before you order. Look for fabrics like the ones we have outlined here, specifically, organic or fair trade cotton, which while it’s a little more expensive, it is way less harmful for people and the planet.

Fortunately there are TONS of amazing brands who make really comfy sweats but also care about the impact they have on our planet and the origin of their fabric. Which means YOU can upgrade your sweats game and know you’re having a positive impact on our world, all from the comfort of your home office (couch). Here are some of our Hey Social Good approved sustainable clothing brands to shop for your next pair of sustainable sweats:

Our Fav Sustainable Sweatpants Brands:

• PACT Apparel – Bronze Giveback Medal
  Buying organic cotton is healthy for your body and our soil. Luckily this loungewear brand is committed to it and makes it more affordable too! Check out their super cute collection of baby and kids apparel so the whole family can be dressed in matching sustainable sweat suits!
  
  
• Alternative Apparel – Bronze Giveback Medal, Rising Star Sustainable Medal
  Owned by HANES, this brand has all of the sustainable basics you need as well as some cozies in fun prints! They use up cycled cotton fibers and by 2021, pledged to replace all virgin polyester with 100% recycled polyester in future fabrics.
  
  
• Known Supply – Gold Giveback Medal
  Knowing who made each piece of clothing is empowering and possible with a company working to humanize the apparel industry. Each garment you purchase is hand signed by the person who made it.
  
  
• KOTN – Platinum Giveback Medal
  An affordable family fashion house that believes the traceability of clothing should be just as important as having farm to table food, thus a care for sustainable and ethical practices result in direct trade with over 600 farmers of natural cotton.
  
  
• Thought Clothing – Silver Sustainability Medal
  Thoughtful and sustainable company offering gorgeous natural fibers and committed to creating intrinsic value for clothing whether new or used. Great for basics or shop your favorite loungewear in fun, colorful patterns and prints!
  
  
• Everlane – Sustainability Rising Star
  Slow fashion brand that offers chic and timeless wardrobe staples that over transparency into the the cost breakdown of their most popular items. Some products even allow you to “Choose your Own Price”!
  
  
• Between the Sheets – Bronze Sustainability Medal
  With a mission of “incorporating ethical and renewable principles into the making of lingerie”, this sustainable lounge and lingerie brand is sustainable made in the US and plants trees with every purchase. Perfect for cozy basics or something a little sexier!
  
  
• Sudara – Gold Giveback Medal
  If something so simple as buying cute pajama pants and sets can provide honest employment and lift hundreds of women in India out of the sex trade then we are on board! We love their collection of fun prints and patterns to make our lounging sets more fun while giving back.
  
  
  

The brands below are “Currently Being Assessed” because we discovered them after our last annual assessment. But, we love what they are about and just had to share.

• Organic Basics – Currently Being Assessed
  A one stop shop for all of your loungewear essentials, this eco-friendly retailer even has pre-made “pacts” you can order with cute top/bottom combos that make shopping even easier! 

• Mate the Label – Currently Being Assessed
  This super chic loungewear brand offers everything from sweat sets, to cozy dresses to thermals. We especially love their selection of cool organic cotton graphic tee’s! They even break down the “cost per wear” for each product so you know the lifecycle of an investment in one of their cozy pieces. Right now, you can add a $3.50 facemask to your order to be donated to healthcare professionals in need

For even more tips, check out our Fashion This for That Guide!

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